The American Numismatic Association Bebee Collection of paper money, one of the finest collections of United States paper money ever assembled, is available to view in an exciting new online image gallery. The collection, consisting of more than 800 notes, was donated to the ANA by Aubrey and Adeline Bebee in 1988.

To view the Bebee Collection online gallery, go to www.money.org (select “Visit the Money Museum,” then select “The ANA Bebee Collection of U.S. Paper Money/View the Collection”) or go to www.ana-museum.org. Additional educational information, including introductions explaining the cross-referenced components of the notes, will be added in the coming months.

The gallery is the work of longtime ANA members John Nebel and Susie Nulty. The collection was scanned seven years ago using the highest quality scanner, enabling minute details to be shown. The original files have been reduced to a practical size for web viewing, but small details are shown in high resolution through pop-up windows.

The notes are cross-referenced by portraits, Friedberg numbers, date, denomination, territory or state, and vignettes. There are special sections for error notes and outstanding specimens, and an introduction by Arthur L. Friedberg, renowned paper money expert and author of A Guide to United States Paper Money.

“It’s rewarding to work on such an interesting and worthwhile project,” said Nulty. “John and I tried to design a site that is easy to navigate and includes several cross-referencing options. Our hope is that fellow ANA members enjoy the gallery and it becomes a great research tool for anyone interested in U.S. paper money.”

Aubrey (ANA Life Member 110) and Adeline (Life Member 4570) Bebee were among the most prominent numismatic collectors of the 20th century, and were ardent supporters of the ANA. Aubrey began assembling his world-class collection of U.S. paper money in 1941. The Bebees also donated an 1804 dollar (Idler/Bebee specimen) and 1913 Liberty Head nickel (McDermott/Bebee specimen) to the ANA Edward C. Rochette Money Museum, along with several other prominent pieces. The Beebes received the Farran Zerbe Memorial Award in 1988 and the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1992; Aubrey received the Medal of Merit in 1968. Aubrey Bebee passed away in 1992 and Adeline passed away in 1998.

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One of the largest gold nuggets ever discovered has gone on display at The Perth Mint.

Newmont Mining Corporation’s Normandy Nugget, which was found in a dry stream bed near Kalgoorlie, Western Australia in 1995, can now be seen up close in the Mint’s fascinating Gold Exhibition. Weighing in at 25.5 kilograms, it is the second largest nugget in the world today having escaped being melted down, and is the 26th largest gold nugget ever discovered.

Information published by the University of Southern California, where the 40 million year-old nugget was examined in 1999, showed it to be 80 to 90% highpurity gold. That gives the nugget an intrinsic value of approximately AU$800,000 at today’s gold price, but its uniqueness and historical significance means it would doubtless fetch much more.

Perth Mint Chief Executive Officer Ed Harbuz said the Mint was delighted to be able to put Newmont’s Normandy Nugget on display. “It is a coup for the 100,000- plus people who visit our Gold Exhibition annually to be able to see this important cultural and heritage asset symbolising almost 160 years of gold discoveries in Australia,” he said.

Normandy Mining, now part of Newmont Australia, purchased the nugget in 2000 after the Commonwealth Government objected to attempts by its finder to sell the culturally significant object overseas. It was brought home with the aim of ensuring it remained in Australia for all to see and admire.

Since then, it has been displayed at museums around the world including Denver and Tokyo before Newmont agreed to a long-term loan to the historic Perth Mint. Newmont Mining Corporation (www.newmont.com) was founded in 1921 and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. It has operations in the United States, Australia, Peru, Indonesia and Ghana, and in 2007, it became the first gold company selected to be part of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. In Australia, Newmont owns the Tanami gold mine in the Northern Territory, the Boddington and Jundee gold mines in Western Australia, and is also a joint owner of the Super Pit in Kalgoorlie.
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The United States Mint announced today that it is working with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History to develop a traveling numismatic exhibition. United States Mint Director Ed Moy and Brent Glass, director of the museum, discussed plans for the exhibition during a press conference at the American Numismatic Association’s World’s Fair of Money® in Los Angeles.

“We are excited about this new endeavor and believe that many Americans would be educated and inspired by such a traveling exhibition,” Director Moy said.

“The partnership with the United States Mint supports the museum’s mission to explore American history,” said Dr. Glass, director of the museum. “The study of coins and currency provides a window into American identity and what it means to be an American.”

The display is intended to inform and educate the American public about coins and the government’s role in minting and issuing coinage. It would also serve as a forum to display and interpret our Nation’s history and heritage of coinage and numismatics, while instilling excitement for collecting among audiences of all ages. The United States Mint and the Smithsonian intend to seek out public venues for exhibiting our Nation’s coins that will bridge the gap between history and the present with interactive and dynamic exhibits about our Nation’s coinage with the goal of sharing the experience throughout the country.

Details about the traveling exhibition are currently being developed and will be announced at a later date. It is anticipated that the exhibition will be approximately 2,500 square feet and will be displayed in several museums across the country over a two-to-three year time span. It will feature coins, medals and other treasured objects from both the museum’s National Numismatic Collection and the United States Mint’s Heritage Assets. The exhibition may also include interactive exhibits and discussion of the cutting-edge technology used at the United States Mint to design and produce new coins and medals. (more…)